Despite All Odds
by Coffee-dono
Summary: ThorxLoki. Thor returns from Earth to deliver Loki to their father. When he hears about what was in store for his brother, Thor starts to think that he had made a big mistake and that maybe he was the only one who truly understood his brother.
1. Turnabout

**Despite All Odds**

Chapter Summary: Thor returns from Earth to deliver Loki to their father. When he hears about what was in store for his brother, Thor starts to think that he had made a big mistake and that maybe he was the only one who truly understood his brother.

Note: The lovely image for this fic was taken from Tumblr. The artist, I believe, is westishere. So kudos to him/her.

A/N: Another multi-chapter that is going towards our eventual collaboration. I suggest you Author Alert us and read our other Avengers' stories so you'll be in the loop. The stories happen almost simultaneously. As usual, if you enjoy this, do take the time to write a review or share your love by faving or putting it on Story Alert.

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The moment that they had returned to Asgard the first thing Thor had noticed was the guards coming towards them to collect his brother from his grasp. He had looked at Loki, looking for any sign of fear or apprehension but found none.

His brother merely stared calmly at the guards and his expression didn't change at all as he was taken away.

Thor suddenly grew disturbed; something was wrong. It was as if Loki had just given up after trying so hard which was highly alarming given the struggle and the fight Loki had just a few hours ago. Then again his brother could have just been hungry since they didn't feed him anything while they feasted on the Earth food called "Shawarma".

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he walked straight towards the stables to take a horse and proceed to the throne room where he knew the Allfather was waiting for him.

Once there he smiled at the familiarity. It was good to be home again.

"Father," he called out before walking up to the golden throne and knelt in front of Odin just at the base of the throne. "I have returned."

"You have done well, my son," Odin said with a stiff nod of his head.

Thor nodded back and smiled wider before looking around. He frowned at the lack of people in the throne. It was really strange; shouldn't there be people or at least the warriors three to receive him?

"Father, where are—"

"The guards along with your warriors are making sure that Loki reaches his cell."

"Cell? You're putting him in a cell?" Thor asked in surprise.

"It is only just that he pays for his crimes. He will be punished accordingly by midday of tomorrow."

"And what will his punishment be?"

Odin didn't answer. His grip on his spear tightened as he kept his gaze at his son. Thor grew more worried and he felt dread running through his system. His hands were turning cold.

"Father?" he pressed, his voice sounding strong and angry.

"His lips will be sewn shut by sorcerers; he will never speak another word."

Thor's eyes widened and he immediately got to his feet. "That is madness! Despite what he did that is too much of a—"

"You know how he is! He is a clever wordsmith and I will not put it past him to sway someone with seducing words. I will not risk it!"

"Is he not my brother? Is he not your son!"

"He **was** your brother!" Odin fired back, standing up as well. His voice boomed throughout the empty hall. "He **was** my son."

Thor wrapped his hand around the handle of Mjolnir in anger. This was not what he wanted for his brother. "He is still your son. Inside him beats the same heart that loves you and seeks only praise and recognition," he told the man; his body nearly trembling in anger. "That was all he wanted!"

"He has poisoned your mind with lies," Odin hissed.

"Is it really my mind that is covered in poison, father?" Thor spat back. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Thor turned his heel and walked towards the main gates of the throne.

"THOR!" Odin called out, hitting the base of his staff on the marble floor. He wanted his son to see reason. He knew that Thor was acting out of love but he had to know where to draw the line especially with crimes as large as what Loki had committed. "Thor! I demand that you turn around at once!"

Thor paused and looked over his shoulder. The anger in his eyes answered for him. He turned around again, his back facing Odin. He continued to walk and never looked back.


	2. Despair

**Despite All Odds: Despair**

Chapter Summary: The harsh welcome back to Asgard did not surprise Loki. But if his defeat taught him anything, it was that he had neglected so much and wondered if it was too late to voice out his true feelings.

* * *

Loki had not spoken a word to Thor ever since he was defeated by the Avengers. Well, it wasn't as if he _could_ considering the mouth guard limiter clasped over his mouth during the entire duration since his capture. It irked him that it took them longer than intended before their inevitable return to Asgard - particularly due to a side-trip of the group of so-called heroes to a Shawarma place. The demi-god had gone without food during that trip, but he was not about to complain. He had already shown enough weakness.

Taking the Tesseract back with them, Thor and Loki traveled back to Asgard. Not surprisingly, as soon as they arrived, Loki was treated harshly, practically yanked away from Thor's side. No less than 10 guards, and not to mention the inclusion of the Warriors 3, had escorted Loki's transfer to the dungeons. The half-Frost Giant had no say; nor did he struggle. This was an occasion he had both been dreading and anticipating since his attempted failure at ruling Midgard.

Not long after he was haphazardly thrown into the most secure cells where hardly any light reflected from the crystals adorning the pillars that decorated Asgard and its numerous structures. Loki was quite literally struggling to adjust his vision. The solitude and impending punishment which he had little idea of made him shudder. What once was a place he called home had quickly turned into something which he had feared.

But any fear that had bottled up inside him then and there given these harsh conditions did not matter to him. After all, Loki had long since abandoned calling Asgard his home. To put it more precisely, he had re-defined his home to a person rather than a place. A person whom he had, up until now, pretended to hate to mask what true feelings he had for him.

_'I'd have left ages ago if not for him,'_ Loki thought begrudgingly to himself. Sitting down on the cold stone floor which didn't bothered him due to his innate Frost Giant abilities, he gathered up his legs and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knee. His palms clasped the fabric of his clothes tightly as he closed his eyes. Loki wanted to return home; Loki wanted to feel the warmth he had felt years ago; Loki wanted to return to his 9 year old self and stay in the protective arms of his brother Thor… the one he had called his home.

_'Thor...' _Loki had called out in his mind. The mouth guard felt wildly constricting and made his jaw numb with futile efforts to loosen it. He had sworn his mouth was completely dry because of this, which only caused him to groan in discontent. Loki did not care what was in store for him; all he needed was to see Thor. _'One last time...'_ he added wistfully.

As if granted his wish, a heavy panting was heard before Thor had stumbled in front of his cell. Loki had heard his brother slumbering too many times to distinguish his array of grunts, groans and pants with his eyes closed. _'Thor…?_' he thought hopefully, shifting his gaze towards the cell entrance. Moving his arms wildly, he caused the chain that bound his wrists to clank audibly against the stone floor to catch his attention.

For those next few moments, Loki had thrown away his pride. All he needed was to be in Thor's embrace. He'd confess if he had to; he just needed to be in his brother's warmth… the warmth that had shown him hospitality and a sense of belonging.


	3. Protection

**Despite All Odds: Protection**

Chapter Summary: Thor makes his way towards Loki. It was now or never, he had to get him out before the worse could come.

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The first thing that Thor had done was to knock the guards out cold. He was grateful that the warriors three as well as Sif were not present; he would hate to fight his good friends. But he would still do it all the same.

His breath was uneven out of tiredness, looking left and right for the cell where they might have placed Loki in. He was about to call for his brother when he heard the distinct clanking of chains.

Without even thinking he ran towards the sound and stopped when he came across an iron door. He looked upwards and saw that the bars were connected to the ceiling. This was not going to be pretty. "Stand back," he warned his brother before holding the handle of Mjolnir firmly in his grasp. He swung his arm back before bringing it full force against the bars that gave way almost immediately.

"Brother," he called out; hurrying to the younger's side.

He knelt in front of him and slowly assessed the situation. Carefully he raised his hands and placed it on the sides of Loki's face, feeling the metal that was covering his mouth. He felt sick just thinking about what was to happen the next day.

"Be still," he said gently before locating the locks that held the metal gag together. Finding them, he pressed down hard, breaking the locks and making the mouthpiece fall apart. It clattered noisily to the ground but Thor did not mind them for his focus was now on Loki's lips that were dry and covered in a few cuts, probably from trying to move his jaw.

Leaning back for a bit, he pulled out a flask and held it to Loki's lips. "Drink," he instructed. "It will help," he coaxed as he tilted the flaskand allowed the water to slowly pour inside his brother's mouth. Once he saw that Loki had enough, he pulled it away and hid it inside a pouch that was hidden by his cloak.

Nodding to himself he turned his attention to his brother's hands. He examined the chains. They were encased in magic, suppressing Loki's in case he tried to escape. Luckily for him, these chains would bend to strength. "This might hurt," he warned before taking Loki's chains and promptly yanked them apart.

As they did, the magic became undone and the shackles clattered to the ground, joining the metal gag.

Thor turned his gaze back to Loki's at this. "Can you stand?" he asked in worry before looking behind him. "We must leave," he told him urgently. "We will flee to Valeria and then to Earth," he informed him before turning his attention back to the younger.

"If we stay any longer they will surely capture you again. I will not let that happen," he told him as he placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I failed to protect you before Loki and because of that you fell to darkness. I will not fail again," he promised before getting to his feet.

"Take my hand, brother. We must go."


	4. Home

**Despite All Odds: Home**

Chapter Summary: Loki had been rescued. But he needed to completely recover before the brothers could completely flee to Earth. Now that he had been rescued, Loki did not find it the least bit degrading to finally tell Thor about everything he had been keeping a secret.

S/N (Shoutaro): Thanks to the warm welcome for this one. All your faves, alerts and reviews are highly appreciated! Special thanks goes out to our avid followers of this story as well as the other Avengers stories '_Re-crossing Paths_' [BruceSteve] and '_Behind Closed Doors_' [TonyJarvis].

Just so we don't forget, Philip and I co-author these awesome stories. Moving forward, we decided to give you an idea of who penned what chapter (as if the lot of you don't notice the different writing styles). I guess this is easily distinguishable by the first letters of the usual connotation of author notes.

Anyway, my partner also wanted me to inform you all that every once in a while we'll make it an effort to reply to reviews just to show our appreciation. Of course, we can't guarantee who'd reply so I guess it all boils down to your luck!

Yeah, that's about it for now. Hope you guys enjoy and keep faving, alerting and reviewing yah hear?

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Loki had greedily swallowed what water had churned down his throat. His body needed it; desired it. The demi-god waited before relief had reverberated along his esophagus before he could finally speak again.

He glanced up at Thor and searched those blue orbs that showed only much concern for him. His heart leapt. Before he could stop himself, Loki's hands flew to grab onto Thor's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. "Brother..." he acknowledged.

Inwardly he was being hopeful. Thor had come to rescue him. For as long as he could remember, Thor had come running to help him in times of trouble; he fulfilled his duty as an older brother to protect Loki. Was all this just like before? An act of duty, merely done in prospects of gaining their father's trust? Or like him, did Thor's feelings towards him similarly change, as his had changed for Thor? The older sounded more sincere in his promise than he did on many occasions in their youth.

As Loki got to his feet, he glanced up at the wielder of Mjolnir and reached out to caress his face with his hand, letting his thumb rub against Thor's beard in contemplation. His eyes looked at his brother before moving forward and firmly wrapped his arms around him; frantic and desperately, pressing their foreheads together as an audible sigh escaped him. "Thank you..." he murmered.

In that moment, a series of emotion overwhelmed Loki. He felt safe. Protected. Relieved. Vulnerable. Just like this, close to Thor. Pressing their bodies together, Loki yearned for time to just stop and stay like this for the rest of eternity.

"I am a weakling brother... And just as when you and I were little, circumstances have rendered me helpless and scared..." Loki said in a shaky voice; his whole body trembling as he tried to make sense of the situation; shed more light onto the words Thor had spoke only minutes ago. "If I go with you, you will protect me? Keep me safe? Shield me from harm from the fate which awaits me? From father's wrath... and punishment?" he asked in confirmation. His tone was desperate. He wanted to make sure.

"I do not wish to let go of you again and sink into further despair and desolation, brother!" he cried out in panic as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "I refuse to fall again and be stripped away from your side... I..." Loki paused as he tried to gather his bearings and collect himself properly. He needed to tell Thor now.

"I **love** you, Thor... Madly so...!" Loki looked up to meet Thor's gaze with his own. Green orbs softening as it gazed into the blue ones of Thor's. "Please understand brother..." he pleaded. "All this time... I wished for nothing more than to be a man equal to you... To be a man worth becoming your partner... To be a man who may one day be called your lover... I egged you on, I sweet-talked you, I did various forms of mischief to send you away, but that is all because I have nothing but love for you."

Loki could not stop now. He had to let it all out. It was now or never. "I will throw away every ounce of my pride, strength, mischief _and_ magic if I must... if that is the price of being with you. I wish for nothing more than to be with you, and no higher power or prestige will sway my desire. I need only to be with you..." he said quietly, leaning in closer as their lips were now just mere inches apart. "As to be with you is the only place by which I may ever call home," he finished before gently pressing his lips to his brother's in a soft but passionate kiss.


	5. Together

**Despite All Odds: Together**

Chapter Summary: Thor has finally reached Loki and was about to take him away to a realm he knew no one would ever look. What will be his reaction to Loki's sudden confession? Does he feel the same? Will he abandon Loki now that his heart is in the open?

P/N (Philip): Hmm Shoutaro, you actually made me tear up in your last chapter. You're so unpredictable sometimes, Aibo. Anyway. Let's see if I can match up on your chapter.

Reviews are forever welcome. I'll be replying to some every now and then and I'm sure Shoutaro will too.

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All that mattered to Thor now was that he must get Loki to safety. Come Hel or high waters that is the first thing he must do or else his entire effort to get him would be futile. Valeria was the first thing that had come to his mind. It was a realm that their mother had shown them before and a place where the gatekeeper freely allowed them to go to as children. They only stopped going there because of the increasing responsibilities that were forced onto them.

_**"Brother..."**_

This caused Thor to look at Loki again. The younger had his hand in his and was looking straight into his soul. Thor could see he was searching for something in his eyes. He could only imagine what was going through his brother's mind but he wanted to assure him that he had no intention of abandoning him ever again.

Then he saw Loki move towards him and felt long thin hands wrap around him in an embrace before the younger reached up and placed a hand on his face.

Thor let out a breath that he never knew he was holding.

_**"Thank you..."**_

He smiled and wrapped his arms around Loki in turn, relishing the fact that his brother was with him again. Safe and sound. He then swore to himself that no more harm would come onto the younger. He swore his life on it.

Loki then started to talk and Thor knew better than to interrupt. When he felt Loki tremble, he merely pulled him closer, assuring him that it was now alright. That he was safe. He looked at Loki all the while and saw the desperation and fear in his eyes as he continued. And when he was done he did something that surprised the blond.

He was kissing him.

Thor's eyes widened at this but one look at his brother's closed eyes he knew what to do. Closing his eyes he placed a hand on the nape of Loki's neck, pulling him closer as his other arm kept his brother in place.

The kiss made Thor's heart pound, it made him feel warm and for the first time in his life he felt like he could ask for nothing more. The lack of air in their lungs forced to to begrudgingly move away. He was panting and he felt Loki doing the same.

Slowly, his hand moved from the back of Loki's head to his chin, making the younger look him in the eye once more.

"I swear on my life, Loki. No one will harm you. I will protect you and keep you safe from everything, even the Allfather. I will stay by your side and never leave. Never again will I let you fall into darkness, never again will you be alone to face despair."

He searched Loki's eyes for something...anything.

"My heart is yours, my brother," he told him. "It always has been," he confessed. "When you kept on pushing me away you cannot even imagine the heartbreak I had to go through. Even when I was banished to earth before, all I could ever think of was you. I wanted to save you...I wanted to hold you and just keep you in my arms but you..."

Thor trailed off as he recalled that horrible moment where he thought that he himself would die of grief.

"You fell...and I knew not where to find you," he said, his eyes starting to brim with tears he tried to not shed.

"And when I found you again I thought I was too late..."

His hand caressed Loki's cheek. He kept his gaze on the younger, as if he can not get enough of merely looking at him. "But now...now I have the chance to make it all right."

He managed a smile at this. "I, in turn, will turn away Asgard. The right to be king...everything even my pride as a warrior," he said.

"You have been my home as I have been yours."

He then pulled Loki close once more. "Stay by my side, Loki. I could ask for no more.." he whispered before falling quiet, content with holding his brother close to him.

He would have stayed longer had he not heard the footfalls in the distance.

"They are coming," he said before pulling away and taking Loki's hand.

"We will leave. Together," he told his brother before walking towards the wall with him and used Mjolnir to smash an opening into the city.

With one last look at the cell he picked Loki up into his arms and jumped out before breaking into a run towards the nearest stables.

They will escape. He will be with Loki.

Odin be damned.


	6. Innocence

**Despite All Odds: Innocence**

Chapter Summary: Thor and Loki successfully escape Asgard and temporarily seek refuge in Valeria while Loki recovers.

S/N: We're almost at the crossroads point of this pair leading up to the Avengers collaboration. Philip will be typing up a closing chapter for this fanfic soonish (might be the next one), so keep yourselves posted alright? If you haven't already put us on Author Alert, now's the time to get on it! And as usual, reviews are much welcome!

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Loki had settled into a short nap as Thor thoughtfully carried him during their crossing to Valeria. The sorcerer would later wonder how his older brother had sneaked past Heimdall without causing an uproar or an all-out battalion to give chase and hunt them down. But whatever events may have happened, upon Loki's awakening, he found himself resting on a comfortable bed of leaves. Further observation of his surroundings pinpointed his location.

Valeria.

His only memories of this realm were that of their childhood; when they were still young, innocent and carefree. There weren't any burdens placed on their shoulders; all they had was a free spirit and the company of one another. How Loki treasured those shared moments with Thor. It seemed fitting that their "stopover" of sorts was here; where everything was peaceful and the events that transpired could easily be written off as a mere fantasy.

The pure atmosphere was a huge factor in Loki's recovery. It was a welcome change as compared to the otherwise choking air of Asgard the sorcerer felt as each minute passed. He had nothing but qualms about the realm eternal where he had spent most of his life; he had no intentions of wanting or going back. Loki's appreciation of the paradise was shaken when he suddenly heard gallops approaching, followed by a low, distinct voice that belonged to Thor.

Shifting his gaze, he spotted a deer dashing away from Thor who bellowed, "Halt! You shall yield this instant and become nourishment for my brother!"

At that instant, Loki's stomach rumbled. He had not realized how famished he was. Watching his brother give chase, he chuckled and collected his legs together. How this reminded him of their youth as a smile gathered in his lips.

Loki would allow himself to let go of what evil had corrupted him. What remained was an innocence that equaled his charm as he eagerly watched Thor swinging Mjolnir around as if it would scare the deer.

_'This will take a while,'_ he concluded with another chuckle as he settled for resting his chin on his knees as he watched playfully at his brother's attempts at deer catching.


	7. Our Last Stand

**Despite All Odds: Our Last Stand**

Chapter Summary: Now that Thor has gotten the both of them out of Asgard, what will be the brothers' next step and how will they carry on?

P/N: This chapter is actually a part of the first chapter of the Collaboration Story between all our ongoing Avengers stories. It would be wise to place us on 'Author Alert' after reading this chapter to be able to follow what comes next for our favorite Norse Gods.

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Getting past Heimdall was no challenge for Thor. The gatekeeper was his friend even if he showed a cold front to everyone. Aside from Loki and their mother Frigga, he knew that Heimdall was the next in line among the people who understood him the most. Of course if Fendrall heard that he'd never live it down.

From the cells, Thor had made it quickly to the Bifrost. He wasted no time and thanks to the help he had managed to get from the inside, they were not followed as quickly as they should have been. Once at the gates he merely told the gatekeeper where he wanted to go. Before they completely left however, Heimdall took a moment to teach him how to use Loki's Chitauri spear to get them to another realm where they would be safer.

Heimdall knew of the trouble that they were in now and whatever scrapes they had gotten in their childhood was nothing compared to what they were going to face now.

Thor, however, was willing to face it. For the first time in his life he was sure of what he was doing and he was willing to just selflessly get into the fray to make sure that he'd get his point across to his father no matter what it took.

But before that could happen, he needed to nurse Loki back to health.

And thus he settled to stay in Valeria for a while. It was the best place for Loki to recover. There were no beings there that resembled men or Asgardians. It was all virgin nature that grew in abundance.

He took it upon himself to make sure that all of Loki's needs would have been well provided for. He found a small cave they could stay in during the nights and he made sure to hunt during the day. All that mattered to him now was that Loki would heal quickly and efficiently.

It took a few days until he was satisfied that Loki was now suited for a longer travel. Walking up to his brother he smiled.

The news that they had escaped the clutches of punishment in Asgard would have been spread through the nine realms in existence by now. Even in Valeria, they would soon be threatened. They would not be safe there anymore and Thor begrudgingly admitted that not even he would be able to defend the two of them if his father's army chose to arrive.

With this in mind, he shook his head. He didn't want Loki to see him worried. No. That was the last thing he wanted his brother to see as of the moment. He refused to show weakness, especially now.

Slowly, he reached out and took his brother's hand. He looked into Loki's eyes and managed a soft smile. "I will take care of you, brother," he vowed again, just as he did back in Asgard. He then leaned forward to press his lips against the younger's own. With that, he gingerly took Loki's spear out of his hands and used what Heimdall had told them to take them to Earth.

He knew precisely where to go and waited until they were not covered by thick gray clouds. He purposely moved forward to a man wearing a black coat.

This was his only choice. These were the only individuals who he knew could take him and Loki on in battle, and therefore be able to take Odin's army as well.

"Director Fury," he addressed as he stopped in front of the man. "I'm afraid that I am in need of your assistance."

**END**


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